The present invention relates to a point-of-sale dispensing rack for storing and dispensing retail consumer goods, such as cigarette packs, and more particularly to a display rack having a high definition liquid crystal display header system for automatically showing numerous programmable visual messages over extended periods of time.
Dispensing racks are frequently used in a variety of commercial retail environments in order to support and simultaneously display a variety of consumer goods. These dispensing racks are a common fixture in grocery stores, drug stores, department stores and other similar retail establishments as they provide a space effective means of supporting and advertising certain products. Such racks may be equipped to hold one or more types of product in a variety of different orientations. Some of the products frequently promoted and dispensed from these dispensing racks include photographic film, cassette tapes, videocassettes, and especially tobacco products, and in particular packs and cartons of cigarettes.
The prior art includes a wide variety of dispensing rack configurations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,085, granted Feb. 27, 2001, discloses a dispensing rack that comprises a back panel joined to a pair of side panels by a pair of corner brackets, and a variety of shelf configurations, each of which enables products to be supported in a different orientation. Each corner bracket is formed with a channel dimensioned to accept an upright support therein. Each shelf configuration is provided with a pair of side support flanges having a plurality of fingers which are received by the apertures of the upright supports to thereby secure the shelves within the interior of the dispensing rack. A header member attached to the top region of the rack is provided with a translucent strip of material with lighting behind the strip material which attracts consumers' attention to the products positioned within the interior. A top cover has an upwardly arched surface to thereby prevent product from being placed thereon. Nesting of the upright supports within the interior of the corner brackets permits the entire interior of the rack to be utilized to support and display product.
Although the dispensing rack of U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,085 includes a header assembly to attract consumers' attention to the products positioned within the interior of the dispensing rack, the assembly merely comprises a stationary signage sheet and a transparent cover with appropriate background lighting. The signage sheet is translucent and contains fixed advertising indicia preferably of the particular owner or operator of the dispensing rack. The advertising indicia remains the same until a new signage sheet is physically substituted for the existing sheet.